Port terminal operator DP World has acquired the Peru-based logistics services provider Cosmos Agencia Maritima S.A.C. (CAM) for $315.7 million, the company said in a statement Sunday. According to DP World, CAM owns a fully integrated logistics service business that operates under the names Neptunia S.A and Triton Transport S.A. and offers end-to-end solutions to its customers. CAM's logistics division offers an integrated platform of solutions in activities relate...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a new online air cargo tool to assist airlines, handlers, third-party logistics providers and shippers to comply with dangerous goods requirements. IATA estimates that more than 1.25 million dangerous goods shipments are now transported by air each year. "With the air cargo growth forecast at 4.9 percent per year over the next five years, this number will rise significantly,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s se...

A broad-based global economic expansion is expected to accelerate this year and next, but risks remain in the form of rising trade tensions, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) latest Interim Economic Outlook. The OECD raised its projections for global economic growth in 2018 and 2019 to 3.9 percent each, the highest since 2011 and 0.3 percentage points higher than the group’s previous estimate, published in November 2017. &nbsp...

Global transport volumes of containerized cargo grew 5.1 percent to more than 13.8 million TEUs in January 2018 compared with the same month a year ago, boosted by strong growth in exports from Asia and imports to North America, according to the latest data from industry analyst Container Trade Statistics (CTS). Containerized exports from Far East Asia increased 6.2 percent year-over-year to 8.1 million TEUs for the month, while import volumes were relatively steady, slipping ju...

Global airfreight volumes rose 8 percent in January 2018 compared with the same month the previous year, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Demand growth continued to outpace capacity, which increased 4.2 percent year-over-year for the month. IATA attributed the continued positive momentum in air cargo primarily to “buoyant” global manufacturing demand, but warned that recently announced U.S. import tariffs on steel...

The Commerce Department has found evidence that silicon metal imports from Australia, Brazil and Norway are being dumped on the U.S. market at less than fair value. Similarly, the department has found that these imports from Australia, Brazil and Kazakhstan are receiving unfair levels of subsidies from those countries’ governments based on their export performance or use of domestic materials over imports. Silicon metal is generally used in the manufacture of steel,...

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Monday called on the Peruvian government to verify three timber shipments exported to the U.S. in 2017 complied with all Peruvian laws and regulations, USTR said in a Monday statement. The timber verification provision is a monitoring tool inscribed in the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement to ensure enforcement of Peruvian forestry laws throughout the supply chain. “Strong monitoring and enforcement of our trad...

International trade in goods grew 4.5 percent year-over-year in 2017, according to the CPB Netherlands Bureau of Economic Policy Analysis. Global trade volumes grew 4.5 percent in 2017 compared with the previous year, according to the latest World Trade Monitor report from the CPB Netherlands Bureau of Economic Policy Analysis. “2017 turned out to be a remarkably good year for world trade,” the report said. In advanced economies, which include the United States, th...

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) text was released Wednesday, just over two weeks before the 11-member version of the pact is expected to be signed in Chile on March 8. The “text” is only nine pages, and essentially sets forth the parts of the original agreement that will be carried forth by the 11 current members, after the U.S. withdrew from it in January 2017. It includes few changes to the original agreement beyond removing references to the U.S., for most ch...

Navios Maritime Partners L.P., an international owner and operator of container and dry bulk vessels, has closed the previously announced offering of approximately 18.4 million common units at $1.90 per common unit, raising approximately $35.0 million of gross proceeds. Navios Partners said it will use the net proceeds of the offering for general working capital purposes, including vessel acquisitions. The company has a fleet of 39 ships, seven of which are containe...

Turkey’s Yilport Holding has ambitions to grow into one of the 10 largest international container terminal operators by 2025, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Robert Yuksel Yildririm, the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Yildirim Group, which also has interests in the metals, mining, fertilizer and chemical industries. The company said that last year, it handled 4.3 million TEUs, 9.5 percent more than in 2016, and ranked as the 13th largest in Dr...

The New York Shipping Exchange (NYSHEX), which operates a platform on which shippers and ocean carriers can negotiate so-called “smart” contracts, has appointed four new members to its board of directors, the company said in a statement Tuesday. The newest members of the NYSHEX board include Bjorn Jensen, vice president of global logistics for Electrolux; Jochen Gutschmidt, head of global logistics procurement at Nestlé; Nick Fafoutis, senior VP of sales and CCO of CMA CGM Ameri...

The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $63,750 civil penalty against J&J Tech Group of Miami for allegedly violating federal hazardous materials transportation rules. The FAA alleges that on Feb. 22, 2017, two passengers affiliated with the company, who were flying on board an American Airlines flight from Miami to Buenos Aires, offered three checked bags containing “hundreds” of lithium ion batteries. According...

New global standards proposed by the International Maritime Organization to reduce the maximum sulfur content in ship fuel to 0.5 percent (by mass) after Jan. 1, 2020 from the current global cap of 3.5 percent will reduce deaths and illness related to fine particle emissions, according to a paper titled, " Cleaner fuels for ships provide public health benefits with climate tradeoffs ," which was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications . “Cleaner marine fue...

Yilport Holding, the port terminal operator and logistics subsidiary of the Yildirim Group, saw throughput at its container terminals jump 9.5 percent year-over-year to 4.3 million TEUs in 2017, according to the most recent data from the company. Yilport said the growth was driven primarily by strong performances in its 10 container terminal operations in Turkey, Scandinavia, Iberia and Latin America, particularly in Turkey’s growing ocean trade market and in Swedish export carg...

The broad-based recovery seen in global ocean shipping is likely to continue in 2018, provided vessel owners don’t shoot themselves in the foot by ordering a raft of newbuild ships, according to a recent report from credit ratings provider S&P Global Ratings. According to the report, entitled "Global Shipping Is On Course For Recovery In 2018, But All Eyes Are On Orderbooks,” demand is poised to outstrip supply in all three segments of the global ocean shipping industry - co...

The Ocean Network Express (ONE), the newly combined carrier formed from the container divisions of Japanese firms NYK, “K” Line and MOL, will begin taking slots on three existing services between Asia and the west coast of Latin America, according to separate statements from the carrier and the current operators of those loops. Starting in April, ONE will begin offering space on what it will call the Asia Latin America Express 1 (ALX1), Asia Latin America Express 2 (ALX2), and A...

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Subcommittee on Pollution Prevention and Response, which met in London this week, has proposed to move forward with banning the transport of non-compliant low-sulfur fuel on board ships when the 0.5 percent low sulfur limit enters force in 2020. To ensure consistent implementation of the IMO's low-sulfur regulation, the subcommittee also agreed to draft amendments to the MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollut...

The cargo operation of Delta Air Lines has expanded its room-temperature pharmaceutical transport service, known as Pharma 4, to eight additional destinations, including Bogota, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Frankfurt and Seoul. With this expansion, Delta Cargo now has 49 pharma stations worldwide, in addition to nine approved facilities in Europe that it operates with its partner airlines. Pharma 4, which is one of four temperature-sensitive ship...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is adding phytosanitary requirements for certain fresh citrus imports from Colombia, which should allow importation of such fruits to resume, the agency announced. New regulations will be implemented Tuesday to mitigate pest threats to imports from Colombia of fresh sweet oranges, grapefruit, mandarin oranges, clementines and tangerines, APHIS said. The new regulations will allow...

UPS has started an international guaranteed midday freight delivery service for cargo originating in 71 countries and shipped to 35 destination countries. The express carrier has committed to time-definite deliveries of 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. for urgent palletized shipments of more than 150 pounds within its UPS Worldwide Express Freight service. “Delivery is door-to-door in as few as 1-3 days, with customs brokerage included,” UPS said. “We have customers i...

German ocean carrier Hamburg Süd has dropped a call at the Port of Jacksonville on its U.S. East Coast – Aruba/Bonaire/Curacao & Venezuela Service, due to declining demand in Venezuela, the company said. “The last vessel calling Jacksonville will be the Ipanema V 174 ETS Jacksonville Feb. 15,” Hamburg Süd said. The carrier's intermodal cargo that previously moved via the Port of Jacksonville will now be routed via Port Everglades, located about 330 miles down t...

Global airfreight demand soared 9 percent year-over-year in 2017, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Global airfreight volumes rose 9 percent in 2017 compared with the previous year, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Demand growth for the year was more than double the 3.6 percent annual growth recorded in 2016 and significantly outpaced capacity growth, which ticked up 3 percent in 2017, the slowe...

Ocean carrier Hamburg Süd, a subsidiary of Maersk Line , will launch a new service network between Asia and South America's West Coast, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, the carrier announced Wednesday. The new network will take the service names of ASPA and ASCA, currently in operation in the same region, but will replace the present partnership with other liner shipping companies and respective vessel sharing agreements (VSA) in April, Hamburg Süd said. ...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its global economic growth estimates for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 years. The IMF now estimates global economic output to have grown 3.7 percent last year, 0.1 percentage point faster than previously projected and 0.5 percentage points above the 3.2 percent growth rate seen in 2016, according to the fund’s latest quarterly World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update. The fourth quarter growth represents a continuation and accel...

The Airforwarders Association (AfA) and The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) are teaming up in an effort to better serve their members, according to a statement from AfA. The two groups signed a memorandum of understanding that will see them cooperate on air cargo matters and mutually promote each others’ services. The AfA said the agreement “is the first stage of an alliance between both organizations, enabling them to strengthen cooperation on aviation ...

Samskip Logistics and freight forwarding company DC Logistics Brasil have inked an agreement to expand Brazilian offerings in sea freight logistics. The agreement allows DC Logistics to integrate with the Samskip team and business in Salvador and throughout the rest of Brazil, Samskip said. “This partnership will benefit all Samskip Logistics customers in Brazil by combining our own years of experience and expertise in the market with the reach of our like-minded, h...

Airfreight volumes in October 2017 increased 5.3 percent year-over-year, according to data from the Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association for airports across the world. "Airfreight numbers will likely exceed 7 percent global growth by the end of 2017, almost double 2016’s 4 percent," ACI said. Year-over-year, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions saw growth rates of 1.3 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, during the month, while...

Michael Berzon, who spent a decades-long career helping companies enhance the efficiency of their supply chains, died Tuesday from complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 77. Berzon was born Aug. 21, 1940 in Buenos Aires and received his degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. For 40 years, he worked for various companies, helping to solve their problems with global manufacturing, sourcing, ocean shipping, domestic logistics and internation...

The Rhenus Group acquired Brazilian customs broker and software provider Pirâmide SeaAir Comércio Exterior this month, the company announced on Friday. Pirâmide SeaAir is headquartered in São Paulo and has branches at Guarulhos and Viracopos airports, as well as at the Port of Santos, Rhenus said. The Brazilian company will initially operate in the marketplace using the Rhenus-Piramide brand. The first shipments through the European LCL gateway in Hil...

The United Kingdom is in preliminary talks to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement once it leaves the European Union, according to a report from the Financial Times . The U.K. is seeking additional trade relations to bolster exports after Brexit , though the government notes it is in the early days of signing trade deals. If the U.K. does join the TPP, it would be the first member of the trade agreement not on the Pacific Ocean or South China Sea. ...

A record in worldwide air cargo volume that was set in October 2017 has already been broken, according to newly released statistics compiled by industry analyst WorldACD Market Data. November 2017 beat last October by 1.3 percent, WorldACD said Dec. 31, marking the third month in a row that year-over-year yield increase in USD had to be written in double figures, this time, the plus-17.3 percent was the highest since the recovery after the 2009-crisis. The price of...

There’s a sentiment in the shipping and logistics industry that’s uttered so often it has almost been accepted as fact through sheer repetition: the industry doesn’t adopt technology as fast as other industries and thus lags behind in numerous areas like automation and analytics. As with any sentiment as trite as this, there’s some truth to the idea that those involved with shipping have not adopted modern technology as aggressively as in other industries. But there’s also a who...

In a year-end message, the chairman of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) is warning against the practice of ordering newbuild freighters when there could be an economic downturn right around the corner. In his remarks, which were first posted on the online publishing platform Medium.com , TIACA chair Sebastiaan Scholte said that although freighters represent only 8 percent of the world’s fleet, they carry over 50 percent of global air cargo. “Almost 85...

U.S. President Donald Trump has recently taken steps to enforce eligibility requirements for countries enrolled in a U.S. trade preference program that allows them to export certain products into the United States duty free. The president partially suspended the Ukraine from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) due to its failure to adequately protect intellectual property rights (IPR), despite years of encouragement and assistance from the U.S. government. As part o...

Maersk Line has launched a new online platform for end-to-end freight booking that aims to reduce last-minute booking cancellations, a spokesperson for the Danish ocean carrier has confirmed. The platform offers services on selected routes and ports in North China, including Qingdao, Xingang and Dalian to the East Coast of South America, West Africa and Southern part of Africa. However, Maersk "intends to continuously review performance and consider further expansion ...

A strike carried out by Brazil’s customs is entering its eight week, resulting in delays at ports and for truck drivers, especially at the Argentina and Uruguay borders, according to reports from multiple media outlets. According to reports, thousands of trucks are waiting three to eight days for authorization from the Brazilian Receita Federal (RF or customs office) at multiple border check points, while at ports, the strike has caused containers to miss their sailings, thus a...

Passionate or emotional? Assertive or overbearing? Each of these pairs of terms represent two sides of the same semantic coin. Unfortunately, however, the way in which people are labelled in the workplace still too often has more to do with their gender than the quality of their character. The shipping and logistics industry is unique in many ways, but it is similar to many in that women are not given the same advancement opportunities as men. Workforce composition and pay ineq...

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) goal to grow the digital economy and continue promoting cross-border facilitation of e-commerce received widespread applause from shippers and express carriers on Wednesday as the trade body concluded its ministerial conference in Buenos Aires. “The fact that 70 countries, both developing and developed, are supporting a positive agenda to create a better environment for a digital trade framework is a tremendous boost for the e-commerce econom...

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is holding its biggest meeting in two years in Buenos Aires, Argentina this week. The significance of this meeting of 164 trade representatives and ministers from around the globe cannot be understated given the anti-trade sentiments permeating the highest reaches of government in the United States. Both the Financial Times and New York Times this week ran think-pieces examining U.S. support for the very idea of the WTO, a body tha...

Global businesses say they remain committed to continued improvements and enhancements to the multilateral trade system that are supported through the World Trade Organization (WTO). “We firmly believe that strong and sound multilateral trade policies are vital to secure our common economic and societal objectives, and encourage all WTO members to make the necessary commitments to enable trade as an engine of growth and prosperity for all,” the International Chamber of Commerce ...

Former U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman said Wednesday that the United States shouldn’t view the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the bar by which to measure the effectiveness of trade enforcement. Froman, now a distinguished fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Council on Foreign Relations, was the USTR when the United States negotiated the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation free trade agreement that was abandoned in January by President Donald Trump. ...

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer warned his counterparts at the start of the World Trade Organization’s Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires this week that the longtime global trade body must address some “serious challenges” to stay relevant. “Many are concerned that the WTO is losing its essential focus on negotiation and becoming a litigation-centered organization,” Lighthizer said. “Too often, members seem to believe they can gain concessions through lawsuits th...

Cargo throughput at major ports across the globe grew by 6.4 percent year-over-year during the third quarter of 2017, according to a report released by the Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI) on Monday. The SISI, an institution of research and consultation on international shipping industry development, said that although the year-over-year growth was strong last quarter, it was actually a slight drop compared to Q2 2017. However, growth was steady on t...

The International Trade Commission (ITC) in a 4-0 vote said U.S. biodiesel producers are harmed by imports of these same products from Argentina and Indonesia by receiving government subsidies to encourage their export to the United States. With this determination, the Commerce Department will now issue countervailing duty orders on these imports from Argentina and Indonesia. The petitioner for this countervailing duty investigation is the Washington-based Nat...

Maersk Line, the world’s largest ocean carrier, officially sold off Brazilian cabotage specialist Mercosul Line to CMA CGM, Maersk and CMA CGM reported Friday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction was subject to Brazilian regulatory approval and the closing of Maersk’s acquisition of Hamburg Süd, both of which have now been finalized, Maersk said. Maersk officially closed on its 3.7 billion euro (U.S. $4.35 billion) purchase o...

APL will join the transatlantic RTWPAN loop in January. CMA CGM subsidiary APL will join its parent company’s RTWPAN container loop in January, APL announced on Monday. Dubbed the North Atlantic Service (NAS), APL will call Zeebrugge, London, Rotterdam, Dunkirk, Le Havre, New York, Savannah, Miami, Savannah, Philadelphia and back to Zeebrugge. The service sails with seven vessels with an average capacity of 2,667 TEUs, with CMA CGM operating four vessels, Seatrade ...

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which participated in the G20’s second meeting of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity in Berlin this week, expressed overall disappointment at the international effort to curb excess steel capacity. “The forum has not made meaningful progress yet on the root causes of steel excess capacity, and pointing to short-term developments and worn out promises will not cure the fundamental causes of the problem,” USTR said in a statement...

Air cargo volumes are expecting to increase into 2018. Global airfreight in 2018 is expected to see continued gains in both cargo volumes and profits, according to forecasts from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Global industry net profit is expected to rise to $38.4 billion in 2018, an improvement from the $34.5 billion expected net profit in 2017. Cargo volumes are estimated to increase 4.5 percent to 62.5 million metric tons, compared to the 59.9 million m...

Dubai-based port terminal operator DP World has completed the acquisition of an additional 66.67 percent stake in Empresa Brasileira de Terminais Portuários (Embraport) in Brazil from Odebrecht Transport (OTP), the company said in a statement. DP World said it now holds a 100 percent stake in the terminal, which will be rebranded to DP World Santos. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Embraport terminal has an annual capacity of 1.2 million TEUs and is the large...

Maersk Line officially closed on its $4.3 billion acquisition of Hamburg Süd Group on Wednesday after first announcing the decision exactly one year ago . “Under this new umbrella, we can strengthen Hamburg Süd’s position worldwide in a challenging market environment, improve our market position, and offer our customers many advantages,” Dr. Arnt Vespermann, new chief executive officer Hamburg Süd, said in a statement. Maersk received regulatory approval for the ac...

The shipbuilding industry needs to design ships differently and be more technologically innovative to reach world climate goals and counter cyber security risks, attendees at the annual Tripartite Shipbuilding Forum agreed after two days of discussion, forum organizers said this week. For over 16 years, Tripartite has provided an opportunity for representative associations of shipowners, classification societies and shipyards to discuss contemporary issues related to design, con...

Global airfreight volumes rose 5.9 percent in October from 12 months prior, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Demand growth continued to outstrip capacity growth during the month, which ticked up 3.7 percent from last October. Asia Pacific airlines experienced a 4.4 percent year-over-year uptick in airfreight volumes in October. “The region’s manufacturers continue to enjoy buoyant order books,” the IATA said. “And...

Xeneta, an ocean freight rate benchmarking and market intelligence platform headquartered in Oslo, Norway, has added reefer container rate data to its platform. Reefer rate data in Xeneta is currently available for beta program customers together with a new user interface of its product suite. By logging into their web browser, these customers can already take advantage of the more than 30,000 reefer rates for various lanes. For short-term rates, Xeneta...

Pen Test Partners LLP, a so-called ‘ethical hacking’ company that partly specializes in security testing of maritime control systems, has found what it says is a vulnerability in the load planning processes used by container ships that could lead to a hacker gaining access to planning data. “Intercepting and modifying the messaging used in bay planning can be relatively straightforward if you know what you’re doing,” Pen Test Partners Senior Partner Ken Munro said. “We noticed ...

As of early November, investors have plunged more than $3.2 billion into more than 200 initial coin offerings (ICOs) globally in 2017, according Coinschedule, a database that tracks cryptocurrency activity. The lion’s share of that money has been raised since May, as speculators, institutional investors, and businesses flock to the hottest financial trend around. Yet this activity comes amid a tremendous amount of uncertainty around what cryptocurrencies are, their usefulness, ...

Container traffic will surpass the 200 million-TEU threshold for the first time ever in 2017, according to the latest Drewry Global Container Port Throughput Index. After October’s container forecast showed signs of container traffic potentially breaking the TEU record, more recent port statistics have confirmed the prediction and even suggest that Drewry will need to raise the outlook by the end of the year. Drewry’s Global Container Port Throughput Index fo...

A global surge in airfreight volumes in 2017 slowed somewhat in September, with year-over-year figures falling to 6.8 percent during the month and dropping 10.5 percent from August, according to newly released data from the Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade representative of the world’s airport authorities. Through the first nine months of the year, global freight shipping numbers were up 8.4 percent, according to ACI data. For the previous 12 months, shipp...

Air Canada’s agreement with Cargojet, a Canadian all-cargo airline, will not be extended once it expires at the end of the year, Air Canada Cargo said in a statement. Under the deal, the carriers have been operating freighter services to and from Mexico, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Bogota, Lima and Frankfurt. Air Canada Cargo will continue to provide its cargo services on widebody passenger flights in most of these markets. Air Canada will add daily 767 passenger fl...